Kaitaia Marching Girls Northland Champions

Northland Age, Volume XVI, Issue 15, 19 November 1946, Page 6

Kaitaia Marching Girls Northland Champions

Scouts’ Banquet

Saturday, November 16, 1946, will be a date long remembered by the ten girls comprising the Kaitaia Marching Team, and by all those connected with the team ; for or that date the girls became the march ing champions of Northland. Yes, on Saturday last in Whangarei, the Kaitaia team was judged the premier marching team north ol Auckland. All praise is due to th( girls comprising the team, to W/C Hart, instructor, and Mr. J. Taffaru originator of the marching movemem ir. the Mangonui County. With 14 points out of a possibli 15, Miss Pat Marsh was also judgei the champiqn leader of the sever teams participating. W/O Hart stat ed yesterday that the girls had ex celled themselves in the competition The result of the competition was in deed a fitting reward for the tiox and care W/O Hart has given to tlx training of these girls. Opinions fron men well experienced in marching were indeed favourable, one otficia stating that the Kaitaia team “wai good enough to go anywhere.” On Saturday morning W/O Hari took the team over the course or which they would be judged in thr afternoon. It proved to be practicallj the same as the course on which the} had been practising in Kaitaia. Each of the seven teams marchet over the course separately, the Kaitaia girls drawing 6th place. Tlx thrill of hearing the official placing! can be well imagined. Numerous photos were taken and a film was shot by the New Zealand film unit so the team should be well befovi the public eye in the next week o: so. In the Grand March our tearr held pride of place behind the banc and here once again the team looker exceptionally well. The snappy uni fc-rms added to the attractive appear ance of the team which was the onij one in which the girls wore gauntlets The trophy for the best uniformec team must have been narrowly miss ed. A cup will be held by the Kaitah team for 12 months, while each member of the team will receive an engraved medal. Miss Marsh receive: a special silver medal for the besl leader. The cup will be on display within a week or ten days. When it is realised that many oi the competing teams had been to gether for long periods the perforin ance of the local team appears ever more meritorious. The movement d ic

| not commence in Kaitaia until the i beginning of October. Mr. J. Taffard obtained all particulars from the Physical Welfare Officer, Whangarei, called a meeting and put the idea on a sound footing. W/O Hart offered to train the girls and nightly practices have been held for the last few weeks. At many of these practices the services of the Kaitaia Municipal Band were much appreciated in teaching the girls tc* march to music. Criticism was forthcoming from many quarters, but all interested spared no pains to mould the team into the combination that it now undoubtedly is. The Mangonui County is proud 1 of its team and of those responsible for its victory. Practices will continue in the fut- ' ure, probably on three nights a week. On Saturday next the B team travels 1 to Waimate North while both teams will probably be travelling to Kaikohe on December 14, where the movement has recently started. Members of the champion team of Northland are : Miss Pat Marsh (leader), Misses ' Ruby Timbers, Dawn Subritzky, Audrey Thompson, Noreen Pickles, Stella Pickles, Daphne Woodall, Mary MorI peth, Rayna Watson, Betty Sefton. Emergencies : Misses Helen Murdock and Joy Wilson. .

“There were sounds of revelry . . ” flooding from the A. and P. Hall on Friday night when the annual ban quet for Boy Scouts, Cubs and parents was held. Commencing with the solemn ceremony and decorum of the trooping of the colours, the evening became more and more informal as the boys became more and more vociferous under the influence of an amazing quantity of ice cream, trifles, jellies, cakes and soft drinks. Across the head of the hall was set the table for officials of the Scout group in Kaitaia : Committee members and their wives, the Scoutmaster and the Cubmistress. At right-angles to this table, and.parallel with the body of the hall ran four other tables, the centre two for the Cubs and Scouts, the two outside ones for parents and guests. All were amply laden with appetising comestibles. After allowing time for the edge to be taken off appetites, the Chairman of the Scout Committee (Mr. I. G. Thompson) assumed the duties of toastmaster, and, tendered apologies for non-attendance from the Mayor (Mr. J. T. B. Taaffe) and from Mr. Percy Hill of Dargaville, Commission-

er in charge of Scout work in the North. The following toast list was then honoured, with the Scouts applauding with their own special cry of approval : The Loyal Toast ; Kaitaia Scout Group (Mr. J. Dykes : Mr. F. Weber) ; Officers of the Group (Mr. J. Paulson : the Cub-mistress, Miss C. Holder, and the Scoutmaster, Mr. R. Williams) ; the Scout Organisation (Mr. J. E. Wilkinson : the AssistantScoutmaster, Mr. Trevor Hugo) ; the Parents’ Committee (the Scoutmaster : the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. L. G. Thompson) ; the Press (Mr. R. D. Hanlon : Mr. B. Berry); Willing Helpers (Mr. J. M. Colebvook: Mrs. R. D. Hanlon). At an interval during the toast list, Cubs who had earned first-class honours were presented with their stars by “Akela” (the Cub-mistress), and a number of Scouts received first year service stars from the Scoutmaster, “Wiremu” The troop leader, Tony Brljevich, received a secondyear star. After the tables had been cleared the Scouts ar.d Cubs entertained the gathering with a short programme of items, including a haka by a muchdepleted Maori Patrol, who also gave two songs ; a conversation piece and a boxing burlesque by Rex Heywood and Gilbert Stimpson; a sketch by Allan Taaffe and "Miss” Harold Woodail and a demonstration of both Cub and Scout games. Former N.Z. Rifleman Shoots Again It was recently reported in a Wellington paper that Mr. H. T. Head of Kaitaia had shot at the SuburbDefence Rifle Ciub, Trentham. Mr. Head competed in the N.Z. championships at the opening of the Trentham range in 1892. He was later selected to go to Bisley with the New Zealand team in 1902.